“Moran?”
“I’m fine. The road isn’t,” the sergeant added, looking down at the blistered, cracked and shattered stones at their feet. “If you let go of me, will I still be safe?”
“Depends.”
“On?”
“On whether or not Teela’s going to do something with that sword other than pose.”
Mandoran laughed. He was the only one who did. “She’s going to have to move fast,” he said.
“Mandoran, don’t—”
“I won’t hurt your precious citizens. Well, not all of them, at any rate.”
Bellusdeo spoke in a lower and fuller voice that was nevertheless distinctly her own. “I’ll leave the corporals in charge of apprehending the would-be assassins. Sergeant?”
Moran looked at the golden Dragon. And she was a golden Dragon now—a very large, very imposing one with jaws that were the size of Kaylin.
“I assume you haven’t ridden bareback Dragon before,” Bellusdeo said to the sergeant.
“There’s a first time for everything.”
“A last time, too,” Kaylin muttered. She was still holding on to Moran.
Bellusdeo’s orange eyes paused over her worried expression—which was clearly reflected in them. “Magic?”
Kaylin nodded. “I don’t think they’ve finished yet.”
“Then get on—anddon’tlet go of Moran until you’re seated.”
Mounting a Dragon wasn’t exactly a no-handed operation, but Kaylin kept this to herself. She understood exactly why she was going to try her best to obey the command: if it weren’t for Kaylin’s alert and bristling familiar, Moran would be dead. Kaylin would probably be dead as well, if it had come to that.
“Has anyone ever tried to assassinate you before?” Bellusdeo asked the Aerian.
To Kaylin’s surprise, Moran answered, “Yes.”
“Often?”
“No. And before you continue the interrogation,” she added, struggling her way into a seated position between spinal ridges along the Dragon’s back, “never with magic.”
“I thought the damn Caste Court wanted youback,” Kaylin said, trying not to sound as outraged as she felt.
“Some of them do. Some, clearly, don’t.”
“And both factions are going to cause boatloads of trouble at the office.”
“Yes. I did warn you.”
Kaylin snorted. As Bellusdeo pushed off the ground and lifted her wings against the pull of gravity, Kaylin shouted, “You’ve got nothing on Bellusdeo!”
“Don’t,” the Dragon rumbled in response, “make me drop you. You might deserve it, but the sergeant doesn’t.”
* * *
The streets directly in front of the main entrance to the Halls of Law were crowded; they often were. Bellusdeo could have landed in them anyway—the approaching shadow of a very large Dragon was more efficient at clearing the streets than a full squad of mounted Swords. She chose instead to land in the stable yards, which had the advantage of fewer civilians. There were more horses, and the horses weren’t thrilled, but that would quickly become someone else’s problem.
Kaylin slid off Bellusdeo’s back; Moran followed. She was a lot shakier on her legs than Kaylin, but then again, she’d never ridden on something the size of a Dragon before. Or possibly on anything else, either.
